Squirg
Squirg are a variety of parasitic cephalopod found on many worlds, including a particularly deadly variety found on Nexus. They attach themselves to the skulls of their hosts and take direct control of the brain, feeding off nutrients in the victims' bloodstream until those are exhausted. They then leave their victims to die and move on to the next. Physical description Squirg resemble small, short-legged octopuses, roughly the size of a human head. Many grow much larger on Nexus, where larger victims such as giants and Osun are available. When not parasitically attached to a living host, they scuttle about on their tiny tentacles seeking their next victims. Squirg behavior Carnivorous by nature, squirg do not actually hunt for food once they grow to adulthood. Instead, they seek out an intelligent creatures and latching onto the skulls of these new hosts. Once there, suckers and microfibrous hooks make them virtually impossible to remove without killing the victim, who is quickly reduced to a state of "living death" by the squirg's potent neurotoxins. The host is then driven by primitive instinct - the only form of consciousness left in the brain - to seek out other living creatures, attack them, and eat them. The squirg then draws the nutrients through the victim's circulatory system into their own bodies. Squirg possession Individual squirg hunting in smaller groups tend not to use as much neurotoxin on their victims, leaving these "possessed" individuals with a great deal more control over their bodies than those transformed into "squirg zombies." Possessed squirg victims may use weapons without difficulty, for example, and have no problem running, jumping, and using basic tactics in combat. They are still usually unable to speak, however, and they still display the same unchecked aggression as squirg zombies. Perhaps most horrifying of all, empathically sensitive individuals have determined the possessed victims are conscious of the actions the squirg is making them perform - including the slaughter of friends and family members. :"At least the squirg zombies ain't got a brain left to feel any twinge'a remorse. Them poor possessed bastards gotta sit back and watch as their own hand spread terror and murder. S'pose they're lucky there ain't no cure, though. Who could live with themselves after doin' somethin' like that?" :''- Deadeye Brightland'' Squirg "Zombies" Squirg victims whose brains have been poisoned with neurotoxin are often called squirg "zombies." Though not the result of necromancy, the behavior of squirg hosts is remarkably similar to the reanimated corpses created via necro-alchemy. Unlike the latter, however, squirg zombies only last a few days before their bodies cease to function due to starvation or dehydration. While active, however, they can spread rapidly throughout an area and cause a great deal of death and destruction. Derelict Squirg of Halon An ancient Eldan experiment long abandoned, data indicate the so-called derelict squirg of Farside appear to have been recently released onto the surface of the moon by a rain of asteroid impacts. They show signs of having been infused with primal power and left to evolve within the nearby Eldan terraformer's energy field, causing them to evolve at a staggering rate. This rapid evolution has rendered the derelict subspecies even more potent than ordinary examples of the mind-dominating cephalopod species. Category:Bestiary Category:Species